Your Character's Name: Robert Winston
We convinced the man with the crossbow, Malik, that we meant no harm. It didn’t take long, Malik and his people genuinely wanted to help the meager community around them and did the best they could. Which turned out to be quite a bit. The garden they built up in back was damned impressive, it grew everything from apples to zucchini. The five of us struck a trading agreement with Malik and his tradesman Phil for a few items and shelter overnight.
Then all hell broke loose.
An explosion rocked the building and sent smoke billowing down the hall. My ears popped as I blinked dust from my eyes. I ran out into the hall with Ian close behind to find a lone scavenger guarding the hallway.
“Wh-who’s there?! Identify yourself!” The barrel of the man’s shotgun wouldn’t hit the side of a house right in front of him, he shook so hard.
As I ran up behind him, I heard growling drifting from the smoke. Feral dogs. They burst out and were on the guard instantly. The three of them ripped the man to shreds, leaving a gory mess at my feet.
I pulled out my taser as one of the dogs raised its bloody muzzle toward me and charged. It took a chunk of my leg before I could get a shot off, but I fought it back and shot it. The taser didn’t do much, just stopped it in its tracks looking bewildered.
“Down!”
I moved to the side as Malik brought a shotgun to bear on the dog and took care of it. “Thanks.”
Malik didn’t have time to respond as Bordeaux charged past. “Don’t shoot the dogs, you psycho!”
She’s calling me psycho?
She pulled bacon from her pack and offered it out to the dogs, murmuring nonsense words at them. Amazingly, they both cocked their heads at her and didn’t charge.
“Sorry, man.” Ian shook his head and took off down the hall to where more of the scavengers had gathered. I looked at Malik, but he just shrugged. Heavy footfalls got our attention. Two heavily armed and armored men walked into the hall past the rubble.
My stomach dropped and my heart tried crawling out through my throat. My worst nightmare appeared. The Horsemen. “Surrender! Repent or feed the Apocalypse.”
I flashed back to the flames licking at the gates to the settlement I once called home. A home that no longer exists because it had a cannon that the Horsemen felt would better suited to them. Our settlement had the misfortune to be built around it. The Horsemen razed it to the ground and salted the earth. Anyone who didn’t repent ended up with their head on a pike.
It all played before my eyes in one instant. The next, I sprinted down the hall toward the retreating figures of the scavengers. I may have wet myself, but I don’t remember.
I have a vague recollection of Malik yelling for Bordeaux to leave the dogs, but the next clear memory I had, I was with everyone else in a heavily fortified room. Metal desks, no windows. Only way out, a vent in the ceiling, which Rio promptly started fiddling with.
“Holy shit! Check this out!”
I turned, still fuzzy, off my game. Claire pulled the sheet from a massive gun.
“Hey, if we can find something solid, I think I can bolt this down.”
I shook my head to clear the cobwebs. “Right, Ian. Help me move this desk. We’ll bolt it here.” Together, we moved the heavy metal desk square in front of the door and secured it. “Can you fire it?”
He shrugged. “Hell if I know. Can you?”
I shook my head. “It’s yours. Get it loaded.” I pounded him on the shoulder and went to form up the scavengers. Several joined us on the run up here. They all had guns, but I knew most of them would do no good against fully armed Horsemen.
Something nagged at my attention. A droning just outside the door. I motioned for everyone to quiet down as I approached to door.
“Repentance… acceptance… dominance… death…”
A sing-song chant. A chant that loosed the darkest fears from the terrified little boy deep inside.
“Repentance… acceptance… dominance… death…”
Closer. Getting closer. A new sound now. A sharp thunk.
It went on and on for I don’t remember how long. I was glued to the spot. Couldn’t think. Then they were right there. Right outside.
“Repentance… acceptance… dominance… death…” THUNK. A pause. Then, “DESTRUCTION.”
I backed up to the scavengers in the corner. That voice. I knew it.
“How many, man?” Rio shook my shoulder.
“Uh, f-four.”
“Shit. Let’s go. This ain’t our problem.” He wasted no time climbing through the vent. I couldn’t help comparing him to a rat leaving a sinking ship.
I pulled my tech from my pack and shoved it into Claire’s hands. “Go. Find your family. Close the vent behind you. We’ll buy you what time we can.” She nodded and left.
The chant again. THUNK. “DESTRUCTION.” BOOM. The reinforced steel door fell into the room, sending splinters everywhere. Ian cursed and ducked away from the blast, then two Horsemen were in the room. I caught a glimpse into the hall. A tall man. Bare scalp covered with tattoos. Armor looked functional, yet still priestly. He carried a long scepter that hit the ground sharply. THUNK.
I froze. Crystal clear in my mind, I remembered him. I remembered him, looming above the small child that I was, offering me the choice that wasn’t a choice. Repent or die. I’ll never forget his face, his voice. I was terrified.
Ian took a wild shot and sprayed the walls with bullets, but didn’t accomplish much else except snap me back to reality. I grabbed a shotgun from one of the scavengers and fired at the closest Horsemen but missed. The rest of the scavengers used that as their cue and concentrated their fire on the Horsemen I fired at, and took him down. A third man pounded in, stepped over his fallen comrade and kicked the body on the way in. He fired at Ian but missed somehow.
Then, I knew it’s over. Conquest strode in, confident, unshakable. He slammed his scepter into the floor and everyone froze. He looked around, eyes steely and merciless.
We convinced the man with the crossbow, Malik, that we meant no harm. It didn’t take long, Malik and his people genuinely wanted to help the meager community around them and did the best they could. Which turned out to be quite a bit. The garden they built up in back was damned impressive, it grew everything from apples to zucchini. The five of us struck a trading agreement with Malik and his tradesman Phil for a few items and shelter overnight.
Then all hell broke loose.
An explosion rocked the building and sent smoke billowing down the hall. My ears popped as I blinked dust from my eyes. I ran out into the hall with Ian close behind to find a lone scavenger guarding the hallway.
“Wh-who’s there?! Identify yourself!” The barrel of the man’s shotgun wouldn’t hit the side of a house right in front of him, he shook so hard.
As I ran up behind him, I heard growling drifting from the smoke. Feral dogs. They burst out and were on the guard instantly. The three of them ripped the man to shreds, leaving a gory mess at my feet.
I pulled out my taser as one of the dogs raised its bloody muzzle toward me and charged. It took a chunk of my leg before I could get a shot off, but I fought it back and shot it. The taser didn’t do much, just stopped it in its tracks looking bewildered.
“Down!”
I moved to the side as Malik brought a shotgun to bear on the dog and took care of it. “Thanks.”
Malik didn’t have time to respond as Bordeaux charged past. “Don’t shoot the dogs, you psycho!”
She’s calling me psycho?
She pulled bacon from her pack and offered it out to the dogs, murmuring nonsense words at them. Amazingly, they both cocked their heads at her and didn’t charge.
“Sorry, man.” Ian shook his head and took off down the hall to where more of the scavengers had gathered. I looked at Malik, but he just shrugged. Heavy footfalls got our attention. Two heavily armed and armored men walked into the hall past the rubble.
My stomach dropped and my heart tried crawling out through my throat. My worst nightmare appeared. The Horsemen. “Surrender! Repent or feed the Apocalypse.”
I flashed back to the flames licking at the gates to the settlement I once called home. A home that no longer exists because it had a cannon that the Horsemen felt would better suited to them. Our settlement had the misfortune to be built around it. The Horsemen razed it to the ground and salted the earth. Anyone who didn’t repent ended up with their head on a pike.
It all played before my eyes in one instant. The next, I sprinted down the hall toward the retreating figures of the scavengers. I may have wet myself, but I don’t remember.
I have a vague recollection of Malik yelling for Bordeaux to leave the dogs, but the next clear memory I had, I was with everyone else in a heavily fortified room. Metal desks, no windows. Only way out, a vent in the ceiling, which Rio promptly started fiddling with.
“Holy shit! Check this out!”
I turned, still fuzzy, off my game. Claire pulled the sheet from a massive gun.
“Hey, if we can find something solid, I think I can bolt this down.”
I shook my head to clear the cobwebs. “Right, Ian. Help me move this desk. We’ll bolt it here.” Together, we moved the heavy metal desk square in front of the door and secured it. “Can you fire it?”
He shrugged. “Hell if I know. Can you?”
I shook my head. “It’s yours. Get it loaded.” I pounded him on the shoulder and went to form up the scavengers. Several joined us on the run up here. They all had guns, but I knew most of them would do no good against fully armed Horsemen.
Something nagged at my attention. A droning just outside the door. I motioned for everyone to quiet down as I approached to door.
“Repentance… acceptance… dominance… death…”
A sing-song chant. A chant that loosed the darkest fears from the terrified little boy deep inside.
“Repentance… acceptance… dominance… death…”
Closer. Getting closer. A new sound now. A sharp thunk.
“Repentance… acceptance… dominance… death…” THUNK.
It went on and on for I don’t remember how long. I was glued to the spot. Couldn’t think. Then they were right there. Right outside.
“Repentance… acceptance… dominance… death…” THUNK. A pause. Then, “DESTRUCTION.”
I backed up to the scavengers in the corner. That voice. I knew it.
“How many, man?” Rio shook my shoulder.
“Uh, f-four.”
“Shit. Let’s go. This ain’t our problem.” He wasted no time climbing through the vent. I couldn’t help comparing him to a rat leaving a sinking ship.
I pulled my tech from my pack and shoved it into Claire’s hands. “Go. Find your family. Close the vent behind you. We’ll buy you what time we can.” She nodded and left.
The chant again. THUNK. “DESTRUCTION.” BOOM. The reinforced steel door fell into the room, sending splinters everywhere. Ian cursed and ducked away from the blast, then two Horsemen were in the room. I caught a glimpse into the hall. A tall man. Bare scalp covered with tattoos. Armor looked functional, yet still priestly. He carried a long scepter that hit the ground sharply. THUNK.
No… no… not him. Not Conquest.
I froze. Crystal clear in my mind, I remembered him. I remembered him, looming above the small child that I was, offering me the choice that wasn’t a choice. Repent or die. I’ll never forget his face, his voice. I was terrified.
Ian took a wild shot and sprayed the walls with bullets, but didn’t accomplish much else except snap me back to reality. I grabbed a shotgun from one of the scavengers and fired at the closest Horsemen but missed. The rest of the scavengers used that as their cue and concentrated their fire on the Horsemen I fired at, and took him down. A third man pounded in, stepped over his fallen comrade and kicked the body on the way in. He fired at Ian but missed somehow.
Then, I knew it’s over. Conquest strode in, confident, unshakable. He slammed his scepter into the floor and everyone froze. He looked around, eyes steely and merciless.
“Repent or Die.”
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